University of Iowa basketball player Pierre Pierce has been permanently dismissed from the team. The announcement came today from Head Coach Steve Alford.

"Effective, immediately, Pierre Pierce has been dismissed from the University of Iowa men's basketball team," said Alford.

"I regret this step has become necessary, but Pierre has betrayed the trust we placed in him when he was given a second chance two years ago. Pierre is an excellent basketball player who will be missed by our team. But, given the circumstances, I feel this is the only appropriate response."

Pierce, a 6-4, 195-pound junior guard from Westmont, Ill., was Iowa's leading scorer with a 17.8 average. He was a strong candidate for all-Big Ten honors. He started 80 of 84 games during his Iowa career.

He scored 1,072 career points and had 305 assists in his two-plus years with Iowa. He was co-Most Valuable Player for the Hawkeyes last year and was a third-team all-Big Ten choice. Pierre was named to the Gazette Challenge all-tournament team the last two years.

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 01:36 PM

Good riddance.

Let's talk about Hawkeye FOOTBALL.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:39 PM

Alford sure fu@ked that up, he should have been let go the first time this crap happened.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:42 PM

I was all for Alford when he came to town. While I alwasy liked Tom Davis, I never thought he was worth a crap in getting top notch recruits.

Alford have a .557 winning % at Iowa

Tom Davis had .657

I miss Dr. Tom. At least he ran a progream you could be proud of, and didn't have all of this off the court crap.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:43 PM

Pierce Gone!

Next should be Alford, then Bowlsby, and then the U of I Legal Council, they all are at fault.

jspchief

02-02-2005, 01:44 PM

The Iowa athletic department has some serious egg on their face on this one. Had Pierce turned out, giving him a break on his first issue would have seemed okay. But this just reinforces what all the protesters were saying two years ago.

P.S. What a dumbass. He just screwed himself out of a lot of NBA money too.

ptlyon

02-02-2005, 01:44 PM

Wow - Hoover must really be pizzed about this...

beavis

02-02-2005, 01:46 PM

Out of curiosity, what'd he do this time?

shakesthecat

02-02-2005, 01:50 PM

Pierce Gone!

Next should be Alford, then Bowlsby, and then the U of I Legal Council, they all are at fault.

Eaaazzzzzy, Hoov.
Bowlsby also hire Ferentz, and that's worked out OK.

But yes, Alford hasn't done squat in 5+ years. He needs to go.

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 01:51 PM

Out of curiosity, what'd he do this time?

Well, there's alot of rumors going around about what did and didn't happen, but according to preliminary reports he assaulted his girlfriend and vandalised her condo.

I have a friend who is "inside" the Hawkeye BBall program and he says that Pierce's girlfriend is the SAME girl that he assaulted 2 years ago.

Apparently, that episode was a Kobe Bryent deal...he stuck it somewhere that she didn't appreciate...

They've been dating since and she lives in West Des Moines.

One of the charges police are considering this time is Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:52 PM

Wow - Hoover must really be pizzed about this...
I am pissed. There is no doubt that Pierce is a trhug, but Alford could have laid the law down the first time and showed the team and any future thug BB player who is boss, he didn't. The Iowa BB program is a mess, they only can win early non conference games, suck in the Big Ten. I don't know if its worth paying Alford to stay here.

I'm pissed as a fan (I don't watch it since the first Pierce thing 2 years ago)

I'm pissed as a guy who is paying for his wife to attend law school there, if a student had done what he did 2 years ago they would have been kicked out.

And I pissed as a taxpayer about paying Alford 950K a year in salary to run our BB program into the ground.

It also pisses me off that a school that is supported by taxpayers shut out the media for the last 2 days.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:54 PM

Eaaazzzzzy, Hoov.
Bowlsby also hire Ferentz, and that's worked out OK.

But yes, Alford hasn't done squat in 5+ years. He needs to go.
Yes he hired Ferentz, but thats not all a AD does. He should have put his foot down and kicked Pierce out of school the first time, all he got was a slap on the wrist.

ptlyon

02-02-2005, 01:55 PM

Wow - between this and Sosa, you gonna make it?

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 01:55 PM

It also pisses me off that a school that is supported by taxpayers shut out the media for the last 2 days.

What did you want them to say when no charges had been filed?

They could get SUED for talking to the media like that.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:56 PM

Wow - between this and Sosa, you gonna make it?
Yeah I'll be OK. I like the Sosa deal.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 01:57 PM

What did you want them to say when no charges had been filed?

They could get SUED for talking to the media like that.
They don't have to make a comment, but don't lock down arena.

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 01:58 PM

They don't have to make a comment, but don't lock down arena.

They have a responsibility to protect the other kids, the ones who did nothing wrong...

I have no problem with locking out the media. The only thing they did wrong was not locking Pierce out with them and make him answer the questions.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 02:01 PM

They have a responsibility to protect the other kids, the ones who did nothing wrong...

I have no problem with locking out the media. The only thing they did wrong was not locking Pierce out with them and make him answer the questions.
I understand where you are coming from, but I think they could have done it better.

Ghostof

02-02-2005, 02:22 PM

Wow - between this and Sosa, you gonna make it?

Sosa is a washup

Hoover

02-02-2005, 03:29 PM

Sosa is a washup
um yeah

Swanman

02-02-2005, 03:31 PM

As an Illini fan, I'm no longer afraid of losing at Iowa. That was the one game left on the schedule that worried me, but without Pierce I don't think the Hawks will be able to hang with the Illini.

I remember last year when Iowa played at Illinois, the Orange Krush was chanting "No Means No" everytime Pierce touched the ball. Of course Alford went crying to the Big Ten but nothing was done. I would have told him to get all the rapists off his team and he won't have to worry about hearing that chant.

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 03:40 PM

As an Illini fan, I'm no longer afraid of losing at Iowa. That was the one game left on the schedule that worried me, but without Pierce I don't think the Hawks will be able to hang with the Illini.

I remember last year when Iowa played at Illinois, the Orange Krush was chanting "No Means No" everytime Pierce touched the ball. Of course Alford went crying to the Big Ten but nothing was done. I would have told him to get all the rapists off his team and he won't have to worry about hearing that chant.

Honestly, you should be more afraid of this bunch of white boys without Pierce than with him.

Pierce may have been scoring 18 a game, but he was also leading the Big 10 in unforced turnovers...

He was a ball hog like no other.

What will be missed most is his D.

SBK

02-02-2005, 04:37 PM

Well, now Iowa and ISU can both brag about recent fiascos.

TRR

02-02-2005, 06:19 PM

Pierre Pierce was one of the best players to don the black and gold for quite some time. He was one of the best players in the Big Ten this season...A first team Big Ten lock. To say Iowa will be better without him is ridiculous.

It really is a sad story. Pierce hasn't been charged with anything yet, and the girl says she WILL NOT be pressing charges. Although the DA office might. Alford released Pierce because he didn't want to go down the same road again...And that was probably the right thing to do.

I know Pierre Pierce personally. Not well enough to call him and ask him what happened, but he knows me by name, etc. I can tell you this much...It is not the same girl as it was in 2002. It is another girl that he has been dating for over 2 years.

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 06:31 PM

Pierre Pierce was one of the best players to don the black and gold for quite some time. He was one of the best players in the Big Ten this season...A first team Big Ten lock. To say Iowa will be better without him is ridiculous.

It really is a sad story. Pierce hasn't been charged with anything yet, and the girl says she WILL NOT be pressing charges. Although the DA office might. Alford released Pierce because he didn't want to go down the same road again...And that was probably the right thing to do.

I know Pierre Pierce personally. Not well enough to call him and ask him what happened, but he knows me by name, etc. I can tell you this much...It is not the same girl as it was in 2002. It is another girl that he has been dating for over 2 years.

It's not ridiculous. Sometimes taking a guy like Pierce off of a team like this DOES improve the TEAM.

He was leading the Big 10 in unforced turnovers. His shooting percentage leaves alot to be desired.

TRR

02-02-2005, 06:35 PM

It's not ridiculous. Sometimes taking a guy like Pierce off of a team like this DOES improve the TEAM.

He was leading the Big 10 in unforced turnovers. His shooting percentage leaves alot to be desired.

Oh, it's ridiculous. He turned the ball over because there isn't anyone else on Iowa who can create their own shot. Horner = stand still shooter. Haluska = stand still shooter. Brunner = bruiser. Hansen = no offensive ability at all.

Without Pierce, we lose to numerous teams including the first big game of the season against Louisville.

I agree that he should no longer be on the team, but the Iowa basketball team took a HUGE hit today. We will be in the NIT once again without Pierre Pierce.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 07:16 PM

Pierre Pierce was one of the best players to don the black and gold for quite some time. He was one of the best players in the Big Ten this season...A first team Big Ten lock. To say Iowa will be better without him is ridiculous.

It really is a sad story. Pierce hasn't been charged with anything yet, and the girl says she WILL NOT be pressing charges. Although the DA office might. Alford released Pierce because he didn't want to go down the same road again...And that was probably the right thing to do.

I know Pierre Pierce personally. Not well enough to call him and ask him what happened, but he knows me by name, etc. I can tell you this much...It is not the same girl as it was in 2002. It is another girl that he has been dating for over 2 years.
I don't fell bad for him at all. he got a second chance, a slap on the wrist in 2002. he should have learned to keep his nose clean.

whoman69

02-02-2005, 07:20 PM

I was all for Alford when he came to town. While I alwasy liked Tom Davis, I never thought he was worth a crap in getting top notch recruits.

Alford have a .557 winning % at Iowa

Tom Davis had .657

I miss Dr. Tom. At least he ran a progream you could be proud of, and didn't have all of this off the court crap.
Dr Tom was lazy because he did not want to recruit. He left that to his asst coaches and it showed in the people he brought here. If he would have actually recruited talent, he could have been a great coach. He was satisfied with trying to bring the best out of mediocre players. Despite his high winning % he was never near the top of the Big 10 and also had a tendency to overcoach in tough games.

Hoover

02-02-2005, 07:29 PM

Dr Tom was lazy because he did not want to recruit. He left that to his asst coaches and it showed in the people he brought here. If he would have actually recruited talent, he could have been a great coach. He was satisfied with trying to bring the best out of mediocre players. Despite his high winning % he was never near the top of the Big 10 and also had a tendency to overcoach in tough games.
I agree with that, and that why I was excited about Alford, but he's done even worse

htismaqe

02-02-2005, 07:35 PM

Oh, it's ridiculous. He turned the ball over because there isn't anyone else on Iowa who can create their own shot. Horner = stand still shooter. Haluska = stand still shooter. Brunner = bruiser. Hansen = no offensive ability at all.

Without Pierce, we lose to numerous teams including the first big game of the season against Louisville.

I agree that he should no longer be on the team, but the Iowa basketball team took a HUGE hit today. We will be in the NIT once again without Pierre Pierce.

They likely would have been in the NIT WITH Pierre Pierce. He's a playground player. A GOOD team player would find a way to get those "stand still" shooters open shots.